HOW TO PROTECT KIDS’ PRIVATE INFO AT SCHOOL

A new school year usually means filling out paperwork such as registration forms, health forms, and emergency contact forms. Many school forms require personal and sensitive information that, in the wrong hands, could be used to commit fraud in your child’s name.

For example, criminals can use a child’s Social Security number to apply for government benefits, open bank and credit card accounts, or rent a place to live, and the crime may go undetected for years – or at least until the child is old enough to apply for a job or a loan, or wants to rent an apartment.

A new publication from the Federal Trade Commission, Protecting Your Child’s Personal Information at School, advises parents how to limit the risks of identity theft. It also explains the federal Family Educational Rights Privacy Act, which protects the privacy of student records and gives parents of school-age children the right to opt out of sharing contact information with third parties. In addition, the publication advises parents to ask their child’s school about its directory information policy, to learn about privacy policies of sports or music activities not formally sponsored by the school, and what to do if their child’s school experiences a data breach.

Has your child’s school talked with you or your Parent Teacher Association about identity theft? Contact attorney Micah Adkins and schedule a speaking engagement with your child’s school or Parent Teacher Association for a free seminar about protecting your child from identity theft.

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Published by Micah Adkins

Micah Adkins is a consumer advocate and founding member of The Adkins Firm. Micah maintains offices in Birmingham, Alabama, Dallas, Texas and Houston, Texas.
He earned his Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Texas, at Dallas, with honors (cum laude), in 2000 and his juris doctorate from the Cumberland School of Law, at Samford University, in 2005. While in law school, Micah was honored by his classmates as the Peer Scholarship Recipient and served as an Associate Justice on the Honor Court.
Micah is admitted to the Alabama and Texas Bar. He is also admitted the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits and to all federal district courts in Alabama, Colorado and Texas. Micah has been admitted by motion in various district courts, including California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.
Micah’s practice focuses on the representation of consumers, especially those with credit or background report errors, individually and on class wide bases, under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Micah also represents consumers individually and on a class wide bases under other federal consumer protection statutes.
Micah’s consumer advocacy has been recognized by the members of the Bar, including the Birmingham Bar Association where he was named as a Top Consumer Lawyer in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. In 2014, Mr. Adkins was selected one of Alabama’s Outstanding Young Lawyers by Birmingham Bar Association. Super Lawyers also recognized him as a Rising Star in 2014 and 2015 and as a Mid-South Rising Star in 2016.
Micah is a member of the Alabama Association for Justice, American Association for Justice, Atlanta Bar Association, Birmingham Bar Association, Collin County Bar Association, Dallas Bar Association, Houston Bar Association and the NACA.
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